Scripture Study: Joshua 8:24-35

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Ai, Bible, Bible Study, Book of the Law, Jeremiah, Joshua, Scripture Saturday

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²⁴ When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. ²⁶ But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction. ²⁷ Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he commanded Joshua.

Verses 24-27: Two words can sum up this military victory: total annihilation. According to verse 25, the only casualties would appear to be on the side of Ai. There might be some wounded among the Israelites, but the camp would be in great spirits after this lopsided victory. Joshua kept his javelin raised until every last inhabitant of Ai had been defeated, following through on what led them to their early success. It could have been tempting to lower his arm, after all things were going great. At some point things would have progressed to where it was a guaranteed victory for the Israelites. Yet he persevered, and as a result all of his men were spared on that day. We should be more like Joshua in this aspect. When we need God, we are eager to turn toward Him and throw our dependence upon Him to carry us out of disaster. Yet there comes a point, every time, where it seems that things are recalibrating to a sense of normality again. Where we are confident that we can retake the reins and navigate things on our own again, placing God back into the passenger seat. Are you letting God lead your life, through the good times as well as the bad, or is He where you turn when something isn’t going right? God has plans for you, yet how can they come into effect if you are the one steering the ship? Relinquish control and let God display the great things He can work through you.

²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day. ²⁹ And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

Verses 28-29: Just like Jericho before it, Ai became ruins in the aftermath of the battle. This was a very visual way to remember that if God is for us, then who can stand against us? Time and time again throughout history men and nations have gone to war believing God on their side, and we can see in this book exactly what happens when God is firmly on one side of the battle.

Joshua Renews the Covenant

³⁰ At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. ³² And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. ³³ And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. ³⁴ And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

Verses 30-35: What an impressive display of thanksgiving shown by the Israelites. After the battle, instead of looking ahead to the next task or celebrating with drinking and feasting, Joshua and the Israelites build an altar for god, offer Him sacrifices, and have the entire Book of the Law read. How often do we prioritize other things above the reading of Scripture? How often do we stick to the same passages or books in the Bible, choosing to stay where we’re comfortable rather than venturing into some of the more challenging books? You don’t have to be like Joshua and read all the Books of the Law aloud in one session, but could there be merit to reading the first five books of Genesis aloud to our families? Consider this a challenge: select a book of the Bible you haven’t read in a long time (or, in some cases, ever) and read through it. Take it one section or subheading at a time and march through at a slow, yet steady, pace. I will be visiting Jeremiah starting tomorrow, the major prophet book I enjoyed the least and have avoided since my first reading of the Bible. What book will you be venturing through?

Scripture Saturday: Joshua 8:10-23

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Ai, Bible Study, Christian, Joshua, Patience, Scripture Saturday

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¹⁰ Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. ¹¹ And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. ¹² He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. ¹³ So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley.

Verses 10-13: It took an entire day to muster and maneuver his troops to where they needed to be for the attack on Ai. They key here, though, is that Joshua executed his plans to take the city. Sometimes the best plans require some time to get them rolling into action, such as this one and the plan God had to conquer Jericho (remember, they marched around the city for seven days before a single skirmish was fought). If the plan calls for time, don’t get impatient. It would have been quicker to simply launch an attack on Ai, but it would not have held the same results. In today’s society we have so much information available at our fingertips. The answers to our questions are often a Google search away. We can access songs and movies with the click of a few buttons. We can order groceries at home and have them delivered, or at the very least brought out to our car. We can buy things on Amazon and have them arrive in two days, guaranteed. Drive thrus, frozen meals, and many other things center around doing things faster. Remember that God has laid plans for you, and that He does not operate on the same scale of time as we do. Remain patient in all things, seeking God’s counsel through prayer and reading through the Bible.

¹⁴ And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place toward the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. ¹⁵ And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. ¹⁶ So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷ Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

Verses 14-17: Here we see the King of Ai falling into the trap laid by Joshua. Confidence can be a great thing, but in some situations it can lead to a downfall. The King of Ai was confident that his men would defeat Joshua and the Israelites, just as they had done before. He never stopped to consider that there might be more than meets the eye in this second confrontation. He assumed it would play out just like the first one, and so he emptied his city of all the fighting men to chase after the Israelites. In their eagerness to crush the Israelites again, they left their own city open and defenseless. The higher our confidence level rises, the more likely we are to take risky gambles because we’re sure of the outcome. We need to make sure that we leave ourselves defended in case things don’t work out the way we expect, or we might find ourselves in a situation similar to where the King of Ai is going to find himself.

¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.

Verse 18: How remarkably familiar this command must have seemed to Joshua. After all, Joshua led a battle during the wilderness campaign where the victory hinged on Moses having his arms raised. It doesn’t seem like that was the requirement in this instance, but it is almost certain that Joshua would have made that connection at first and complied with haste.

¹⁹ And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. ²⁰ So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. ²¹ And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. ²² And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was left none that survived or escaped. ²³ But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua.

Verses 19-23: The obedience of the Israelites has led to victory over Ai at last. The overconfidence of the King of Ai led to the destruction his his city and his people, and soon he will be paying the consequence himself. Yet had Joshua not been patient enough to see the smoke, there is a chance things might not have played out so smoothly. Ai may have fled back into their city and discovered the ambush, or they may have fought with greater ferocity. This passage leads the reader to understand that the men of Ai sought to flee but had no where to run to. They were broken and disheartened by the smoke, which allowed Joshua and his men to destroy them all.

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Scripture Study: Joshua 8:1-9

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Ai, Bible Study, Biblical Manhood, Braveheart, Joshua, Leadership, Scripture Saturday

8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. ² And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.”

Verses 1-2: God once again speaks to Joshua, giving him the same reassurances that were passed along back in Chapter 1 as they came into the Promised Land. The Israelites are once again back in God’s good graces after the sacrifice of Achan, and now God will continue to uphold his original promise. The city of Ai is to go the same route as Jericho, with one major exception: they can keep the spoils and livestock. Yet the really important thing to note is how God tells them to conquer the city. You might expect Joshua to want to repeat the last conquest miracle and march around Ai until its walls crumble and its citizens are trembling in fear. Yet that isn’t how God works, He gives them a new way to accomplish the same thing. How many times do we wait and wait for a repeated miracle to come about in the same way as before? Or for a prayer to be answered in the same manner? When God’s hand touches our lives in some way, it can be easy to fall into the belief that it will happen again in the same way. Yet that isn’t necessarily how God operates. Don’t get so stuck in the same routine, waiting for God’s guidance to reappear in the same way, that you miss the other ways in which He may be reaching out to you. Sometimes God works in direct ways, other times it is a gentle prodding on our inner selves.

³ So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.

Verse 3: Men of valor. Men who have great courage in the face of danger. Those men are hard to find these days in a world where manhood itself is constantly undermined and under attack. Joshua himself is a great example of a man who extols the traits of biblical manhood. One of the best verses that encapsulates that manhood, who those men of valor would be, is found in 1 Corinthians: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). In a society where so many are misguided in terms of what it means to be a man, it is more important than ever for men to meet, to study what God defines as manhood, to study men from the Bible and throughout history who exemplified those traits, and to instill those values in their children and grandchildren.

⁴ And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. ⁵ And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. ⁶ And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.’ So we will flee before them. ⁷ Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand. ⁸ And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.”

Verses 4-8: There are some excellent tactical decisions here, taking advantage of the previous encounter with Ai. He is splitting off 30,000 men from his force to wait in ambush behind the city which, obviously, must be walled in some manner. Joshua and his main army plan to pull the force out of the threshold of Ai, allowing the 30,000 to sweep in afterwards and sack the city itself. But notice Joshua’s words here: “for the Lord your God will give it into your hand”. The victory over Ai will not be because of Joshua’s planning, nor the might of any of the men. Joshua is keeping himself, and his warriors, centered on the truth that God is in control and God is the one who both gives and takes away. They had just received a convincing illustration of that truth with the previous attack on Ai, and now the time is approaching where God will enable them to win. Without God, though, they would likely be sent fleeing for a second time.

⁹ So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people.

Verse 9: Joshua’s decision that night to spend his time among the people is something every leader should learn from. It is his chance to boost the morale of those who will be doing the difficult job of providing that military distraction against Ai. Many movies and shows give us the visual of a commander being in his own massive tent, surrounded by a few loyal leaders and a brood of hardly-clothed women. The more effective leader would be among the fighting men, talking to them and boosting their confidence on the eve of a battle. Much like William Wallace in Braveheart, he would be giving stirring speeches to groups of men, reminding them of what they are fighting for and why they are possibly laying down their lives. People want to follow the person who inspires them, not the person who is a distant force commanding them from the shadows. Relationships matter, especially when it comes time to ask for someone to give that extra 10% on your behalf. Even if you aren’t in a leadership position, forming those connections will make it far more likely that a person will go the extra mile to assist you when you need that help.

Scripture Study: Joshua 3:9-17

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Ark of the Covenant, Bible Study, Christian, Joshua, prayer, Scripture Saturday

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Scripture Study in Joshua. Last week we covered the first eight verses in this chapter, which brought up far more to discuss than originally anticipated and thus necessitating a split of this chapter into two parts. If you are just joining me, or have missed a week or two, there is a link below to the beginning of the study, to the last study, and a link to a master page where you can find links to each active part of the study.

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⁹ And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. ¹² Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. ¹³ And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵ and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), ¹⁶ the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Verses 9-10: Joshua draws the crowd in and makes sure they are ready to listen, not to what Joshua has to say but rather what God is saying to them. He is only a vessel to pass along the message, showing the same humility that Daniel demonstrates while in the court of Nebuchadnezzar (See Daniel 2:27-30) and many others do over the course of the Bible. Joshua could have gotten a strong response from his followers by commanding them without mentioning the words were from God, yet he knew to whom the glory should go for what was about to happen. Far too often we are tempted into the thoughts of our culture that encourage us to pursue our dreams, our desires, and get into the mindset that we deserve those things and that they will make us happy and we deserve happiness. Yet even if we believe we know what will make us happy in this life, how much more does our Father know what would make us happy (See Matthew 7:11)? We should pray about the pursuits we aim to achieve and invite God to take part in the decision-making process. After all, how much can we accomplish if it runs contrary to His will for us? We should dream big dreams and chase after lofty goals, ones that are so big in scope that they could only happen if God showed up and helped along the way. Those are the goals which will assuredly bring Him greater glory, because we will know it was not by our own power that we reached that mark.

Verses 11-13: Note the emphasis placed here on the transportation of the Ark. It is no ordinary container being transported along on this journey, but rather it contains God’s ten commandments (See Exodus 25:16, 21; 40:20) and served as a holy representation of God and His presence for the people of Israel. So it is significant that not only the Ark is leading the Israelites, but also the command to have a member from each tribe present is important. These twelve men will be active witnesses to the miracle about to unfold, and the inclusion of all twelve tribes demonstrates they all hold favor with God. The significance of the twelve tribes will be explored in greater depth in the next chapter. Sometimes God calls us not to be active participants in a significant event, but rather to stand as witnesses who can then go and spread the word through testimony. We should not only spread this testimony during the moments following the event, but across generations. We should tell them to our kids and grandkids, to those we know and even to those we hardly know. We certainly should rejoice in the times when God chooses to use us to further His Glory, but we can equally rejoice when we see Him moving through others.

Verses 14-17: What an impressive feat this proved to be. The banks of the river, we are told, were at flood-level stages so it was a very full body of water raging here. God could have chosen any number of methods of providing crossing for the Israelites, such as freezing the water solid to allow them to cross. Yet instead of doing the natural, God comes along and does the Supernatural and parts the water. Whereas the Red Sea parting involved forming a wall of water on either side of the Israelites, in this instance God stopped the flowing side of the river and, ultimately, the other half would dry up without more water flowing across. There is no chance that this could be written off as something that happened naturally, and this will not be the last time in Joshua when we see God demonstrate His awesome power in ways that are unexpected. Imagine the people crossing, looking to their right and seeing a wall of water stretching upward on their right and bare ground to their left for as far as the eye can see. This just goes to reinforce that God likes to show up and do things in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes we expect answers to our prayers to not only arrive immediately, but exactly how we imagine them to be resolved. Yet that is rarely God’s timing or His method of answering prayers. Our imagination is limited to what we believe is possible, as well as what works best for us in that moment. God works based upon what is best for us in the long term and performs in ways that ensure the glory and credit can be placed nowhere but upon His shoulders. We should pray bigger, and bolder, prayers and step out in faith like those carrying the Ark. They took steps into the river before the waters were stopped. It was also they who stood in the middle of the river, under the shadow of this raging wall of water while waiting for all of the men, women, and children to cross to the other side. As far as they knew, the water would commence in its natural course at any moment. Yet they stood there, firmly trusting that God would fulfill His end of the deed without demanding any proof. And not only did God show up, He did so in a way that surpassed their understanding and expectations.

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Scripture Study: Joshua 2:15-24

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Bible Study, Jericho, Joshua, Rahab, Scripture Saturday

Welcome back to the fourth week of our study of Joshua. There has been a lot of great stuff covered so far, and we haven’t even gotten to the first conquest in the book. Today’s study will see how the two Israelites respond to Rehab’s request for them to keep her and her family safe, as well as how Joshua reacts to the news that the people of Jericho are terrified of the Israelites due to hearing what God has already done on their behalf.

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¹⁵ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said^[d] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” ²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. ²³ Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

Verses 15-16: Rahab suggests that the men hide in the hills for three days before making the trek back to the Israelite camp. While the impulse might be to trust that God would protect them, after all he promised no men would be able to stand against Joshua, they make the wise decision to heed the sense of this plan. After all, it is easier to sneak past men who are no longer looking for you. Even though Joshua had commanded the Israelites to be ready to move within three days, the delay of the return of these spies would not be detrimental to the cause. Sometimes we read a promise from God, or pray to God, and look for the immediate answer to appear in our lives. However, we cannot control the circumstances. Perhaps the reason for a delayed answer is similar to the reason why the spies must wait three days: right now isn’t the most opportune time to make that happen in your life. Perhaps waiting a few weeks, months, or years might be when the best possible time arrives to fulfill that promise or prayer. And maybe our case is one similar to Abraham and others, where it may be a promise fulfilled for our future generations rather than ourselves. That does not mean we should stop trusting God or praying about this to Him. While we can see only a few threads in the pattern, God can see the entire quilt and how it all fits together in the end.

Verses 17-21: The Israelite spies promise to uphold their end of the bargain that Rahab desired. Yet it was not simply a promise to protect her and her family, but something that required both action and obedience on the part of Rahab and her family. If they did not follow through on the commands, then the Israelites would not be held accountable for what might happen to those who disobeyed. This makes sense, as they do not know who Rahab’s family members are and certainly could not pass around pictures to everyone in the Israelite army. This command has a striking parallel with the Passover that occurred in Egypt where the Israelites had to mark their doorframes with blood and remain inside in order to get passed over from the plague of the first born (See Exodus 11). Many times the same things are required of us by God. He may make a promise or give us a command and expect action and obedience on our end to see it fulfilled. Just because God has promised to give us something in our lives does not mean we should wait with passive faith that He will come through apart from anything we do. Sometimes it requires us to step out in faith and meet Him part of the way in order to have that blessing in our lives. Instead of testing God to see if he will make something happen, He might be testing you to see if your desire is strong enough to take the first steps without Him. And often times, when we look back, we’ll find He was right there with us even when we thought those first steps were taken alone. God will fulfill His promises. Can you be bold enough to move forward with enough trust that they will come true, even if you don’t see how it is possible?

Verses 22-24: The men follow through on Rahab’s suggested plan of action and arrive safely back with Joshua and the Israelite army. Imagine the boost in morale for both Joshua and the commanders of his army when they hear the report that God has truly given them the land and the people of Jericho will “melt away before them” (Joshua 2:24). Small steps of obedience in Joshua’s life have led to this moment. He has followed God faithfully, being one of two men allowed to leave the wilderness and enter the promised land (Caleb being the other) because of his choices and actions. In Chapter 1 God spoke to Joshua and promised him the conquest of these lands and the report from the spies is serving as confirmation that this promise is about to be upheld. This sets the stage for the next chapter’s events, which we’ll begin to see next week. In a pattern that is often repeated in this book, so long as Joshua and his men are obedient they will find that God is more than willing to fulfill His end of the arrangement. Do not hesitate to chase a dream or a passion because you aren’t sure if God is able to help you achieve it. You may just need to take the initiative and God will surprise you along the way.

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Reading the Bible Every Day

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Bible Reading, Reading Plan, Scripture Saturday, Technology, the Bible

We live in a world that is blessed beyond measure by the amount of information that is readily available to us. Today, in 2016, there are over 40,000 searches on Google every second (http://www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/) which equates roughly 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year. We no longer need to wait for a daily newspaper, or even the regularly-scheduled news broadcasts in order to hear the latest news stories. Searches in a library’s catalog are done digitally rather than through a card catalog. We can map out our road trips online, complete with step-by-step instructions, alternate routes, estimated travel time, and indications of construction, tolls, and other things we’ll encounter along the way. There are more books in print than a person could read in a lifetime, and a wealth of audio and video content that can be accessed for free.

For Christians, we have dozens of English translations of the Bible available. We can read and listen to the complete Bible for free online. We can look up a verse or passage, change between translations, and read a complete commentary to go with it without ever opening the page of a book, much less needing to own a Bible or commentary. There are sermons by the thousands available to listen to, or watch, for free online. There are podcasts that dive into deep apologetics matters. Yet this only scratches the surface of the tools and resources that are present for a Christian in our modern, technology-driven world.

It can become easier to read what someone else has to say about a topic, to indulge ourselves in their interpretations of a Biblical book, passage, or topic. The Christian bestsellers thrive on this demand for convenience. In a world where more and more things demand our time and attention, it can be easy to rely upon audiobooks and podcasts during our commutes. None of these resources are, in and of themselves, a negative thing. We should feel blessed that we have so much information that is so readily available.

But it cannot become our only source for our daily Christian walks.

Devotionals are a great tool to inspire us to spend a little time reading in the morning or evening, yet most of them contain only a verse or two from the Bible, and almost never with the context around those verses. Hearing or reading what preachers and pastors have to say can be enlightening and inspiring, but if you do not read the Bible itself you can never be sure if they are leading you astray. There are many Christian authors being published who have no formal credentials, and many deliver powerful messages through personal experiences and interpretations, but without your own knowledge of the Bible they can also lead you down false paths and provide you with misguided impressions of what God’s Word says or means. Without reading the Bible daily, how can you ever be sure that the information you are being given is truly what God said or meant?

I know that it can be a challenge to read the Bible every day. I have faced that challenge myself and there are still days when I fail to dive into the Word of God. I have had seasons in my own Christian walk where I do not get into the Bible, convincing myself that a podcast or a book is an adequate substitute. After all, it is still touching upon God’s Word or topics from the Bible. It does not take much persuasion to get there, yet I know that this trade is like eating dry bread when one could have Manna. Like drinking well water when one could have the life-giving water that Jesus gives.

And I am not the only one who struggles with reading the Bible. According to the 2016 State of the Bible Report by the Barna Group, only ⅓ of Americans read their Bible at least once a week. One out of three will read the Word of God this week. Even worse is the small number who do so daily, which tends to fall in right around the 10-15% mark from year to year. Yet the reassuring statistic from the study is that 62% of Americans want to read the Bible more often. (http://www.americanbible.org/features/state-of-the-bible).

And there are ways to help make that happen. The first impulse might be to look up a One-Year Bible Reading Plan. After all, they tell you what to read each and every day throughout the calendar year. Yet there are two things that I dislike about these reading plans. First, they tend to begin on January 1 and, unless you begin that date, you may find it difficult to jump in somewhere in the middle of the year. Second, they jump around . . . a lot. I understand the thought behind doing a little from the Old Testament, a little from the New Testament, and a Psalm and some Proverbs. I really do. But how many people do you know that like to read multiple novels at the same time? You’ll be reading two different narratives each and every day possess entirely different timeframes. There has to be a better way of approaching reading the Bible, and how many people actually could stick to a rigorous plan long enough to succeed at reading the Bible in a year?

I believe there is a more systematic approach that a person can take to get through the Bible. It is not a race to see who can get through it fastest, nor to see if you can do it for 365 straight days (although daily reading should be the goal, we’re flawed humans and we’ll inevitably miss days along the way). Instead we should approach things in a certain order, beginning with the end. Read the New Testament first in its completion. You’ll understand about who Jesus was, his life and miracles on the Earth (Matthew-John), the beginning of the early Church (Acts), the letters passed down that are dense with Gospel messages and personal daily application (Romans-3 John), and then a glimpse at the end of this world which will lead into the coming of a New Heaven and a New Earth (Revelation).

This lays the framework to go back and read through the Old Testament. You’ll have an idea of the latter events, so that when prophecies get mentioned or events happen that mirror things that will happen in Jesus’ lifetime, they will jump out and make more sense. The first five books of the Bible lay the groundwork for the fall of man (Genesis) and lead into the laws (Exodus-Deuteronomy) given to man. From there you can either follow the history of Israel from its conquest into new lands through to their exile (Joshua-Esther), jump into the Wisdom Literature (Job-Proverbs), dive into the Major Prophets (Isaiah-Daniel), or dabble in the shorter books of the Minor Prophets (Hosea-Malachi). While there is something to be said for reading them in the order they appear, because the timelines on many of the prophetic books overlap with those of the history books so knowing the chronology of the kings and other events can be helpful, it is certainly not necessary to get the main thrust of the prophecies. And while reading at least the story of David (1 & 2 Samuel) will help you to have a better grasp on Psalms, they can be read and enjoyed apart from the historical basis. So this is where the flexibility comes in, although I would recommend reading them in the full groupings rather than a book from this and then a book from that (unless you are lucky enough to possess a Chronological Bible).

    And then, after the trip through the Old Testament, a second journey through the New Testament would complete the tour. This will allow you to be able to put the things in those books into the context and reference of the Old Testament, which is a helpful thing to do. Don’t set a deadline on the journey, and don’t even try to set a goal for how much  you’ll read each time. The goal is to make some progress each day. Some days it may be 5 chapters, others it might be just 5 verses. But taking time to jump into the Word of God is important, and this will help you to set that foundation that future readings and studies can build upon.

Joseph’s Grain Publishing

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Bee the Difference, Christian, Joseph's Grain Publishing, Non-Profit, Publishing Company, Scripture Saturday

For today’s Scripture Saturday I am going to focus on a small Christian company that is working to make a big difference in the world. So stick around and learn a little bit about who Joseph’s Grain Publishing is, what they are trying to do, and how you might be able to help them get closer to achieving their goals with this ministry.

According to their website, Joseph’s Grain Publishing (JGP) is a non-profit publishing company with the admirable vision of impacting the world through several facets of their business. The books that they publish aim to tackle tougher topics, such as trafficking and persecution. They also send 60% of the profits from their sales to aid a certain project, such as feeding hungry children in Thailand. Where the money is going to be used is featured on the cover of each book.

Another thing that sets JGP apart from other publishers is that they print and bind the books themselves. That is something you don’t hear very often, but this would help keep the costs down so that a greater part of each book sale can go to help fulfill those projects. They are certainly working hard to be good stewards of the money that comes in through their publishing house.

As of right now they only have one book for sale, which you can learn more about by following this link. Based on the description, it tackles some pretty deep questions such as: What IS Christianity? What does it have to do with the way you live your life? Is it real? Or is it a fabrication? AND…. Where is the evidence?

Their biggest push right now comes through selling some “Bee the Difference” shirts. Their goal is to sell 80 of these, which will allow them to purchase the much-needed IBSN numbers in order to continue to produce and publish books. You can order a shirt by going to this page, and with that purchase you will be helping contribute to the success of their growing ministry and mission.

If you don’t want a shirt, you can also contribute by providing a donation through the link on their website.

 

Be sure to check out this great publisher who, it appears, will start looking to form a list of authors to become a part of the JGP team. I cannot wait to see how God will use their ministry to bless people around the world and provide readers with material that will present challenging topics and issues that do not often get addressed or discussed.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

Revolution

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baptism, poem, Revolution, Scripture Saturday

Welcome back for another Scripture Saturday. Today is a poem that I wrote a few years ago, and thought it was worth sharing on here this week. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

REVOLUTION 

 Icy water chills to the bone.
Miniature waves ripple through the
pool, beckoning to follow them
and plunge into the watery depths.

 Closing eyes and holding breath in
preparation for the moment
to arrive. Time creeps by slowly
as the anticipation builds like a crescendo.

 Water surrounds the body as it
is submerged. Droplets fly into the air as
the body is pulled back to the surface,
beads of water clinging to skin.

 To be buried like he was buried
and raised like he was raised;
it is time to go make disciples of others.
The spiritual revolution has begun.

Scripture Saturday: Glass by Andrea Lundgren

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Andrea Lundgren, Christian, Glass, Guest Post, poetry, Scripture Saturday

Apologies for the delayed posting on this one! Today we have a guest post from Andrea, who operates her own blog as well as co-authors one with her brother. Both will be linked down below! I am super-excited for this, as Andrea will be contributing a post every first Saturday of the month either in the form of a poetic work or some other form of devotional/thought-provoking post pertaining to Christianity. Enjoy this great poem and be sure to check out her blogs and her book!

There is Light

And there is Darkness

And we are glass.

 

Purified

So Day can shine through us

Illuminating hearts,

Changing lives.

 

Or clouded

So only Night can glare

Shriveling flowers,

Darkening worlds.

 

We may be warped by our choices

Whether Light

Whether Darkness

Until we can no longer change sides.

Set for good

Of locked on evil

Until

We

Break

And the pieces still reflect an every growing gloom.

 

But there is mercy

For the Glassmaker knows

When what passes through us is not ours,

And hating the darkness,

He still does not hate our form,

Our crystalline hearts.

He still wishes

To save us

From ourselves.

 

There is Light

And there is Darkness

And we are glass.

 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)

Copyright 2015 Andrea Lundgren
Photo by quicksandala, Creative Commons

Her personal blog, "Into the Writer Lea", which features Book Reviews, Writing Tips, Poetry and Life
"Operation Echo", a blog co-authored with her brother to empower Kingdom believers.

Check out her book, “Kisses Never Hurt Me”, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (and leave a review).

Scripture Saturday: Amos Part 2

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Amos, Christian, Christianity, Prophets, Scripture Saturday, the Bible

Welcome to the second part of my reflections after reading the Book of Amos. It is chronologically the second book of the prophets found in the Old Testament, and was quite an interesting experience to really read, study, and reflect upon the meanings within the prophetic text. You can check out the post on Part 1, which deals with the content of the first four chapters in Amos. Today’s post deals with chapters 5-7.

 

God tells His nation, Israel, in the fifth chapter what they need to do: “Seek me and live” (Amos 5:5-6), and to “Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate” (Amos 5:15). God declares that He does not want their feasts held in His name, nor their animal sacrifices, nor their songs of worship (Amos 5:21-23) but rather He wants justice and righteousness (Amos 5:24) from His people. In other words, He doesn’t want them to do all these ritualistic things out of obedience. He wants them to live a life that shows an outward expression of the transformation that comes from living in alignment with God’s perspective. They need to die to themselves first, which will lead to a lasting transformation in who they are and what they aim to achieve. Worship and praise and giving only mean something if the person is doing it because their hearts are being molded and shaped by God’s love and justice and therefore they are acting in alignment with what God would want. Not because it is an obligation or a command.

The hearts of the men in Israel are further reflected in Chapter 7 by their reaction to Amos and his prophecies. They command him to flee from Israel and never prophecy there again because he said Jeroboam will die by the sword and the people will go into exile. They are unable to bear hearing those words of bad news (Amos 7:10-13) because they want only the prophets who speak good news of prosperity and growth and long-lasting rule for their king. How many churches today preach only the good news that will stimulate growth and avoid the topics that will challenge the congregation? How many walk on eggshells, trying not to offend anyone in order to maintain the number in attendance. Like Amos, we should be speaking what God commands, the things that are pleasing to God, rather than what is going to be pleasing to man.

And yet while there is plenty of doom and gloom, as well as enough punishment and condemnation to go around in there we also cannot ignore the message behind Chapter 9 in Amos. It can be easy to overlook everything preceding that chapter and fixate on this alone as the message of Amos, but that would be to do an injustice. It would be keeping the wool over our eyes and our ears stuffed with cotton so we cannot see or hear. God will certainly punish those who are deserving, both those belonging to His people and those that surround His people. We can maintain hope knowing that even if the justice God demands falls upon us today, as it did for the Israelites thousands of years ago, there could also come a time of restoration. It may be a restoration to the lands we inhabit now, or it could even be the restoration to the new heaven and new earth alluded to in Revelation (Revelation 21:1). We won’t know until the time arrives. But we know the day is coming when new crop will grow immediately after the harvest, when the mountains and the hills shall flow with sweet wine (Amos 9:13-14). This is a picture of what the Garden of Eden may have looked like, where everything was prosperous and the earth would produce in abundance without the need for back-breaking labor brought about by the sins of Adam. And God ends it by declaring that at this point that His people shall be rooted in that land and never driven away from that land again (Amos 9:15), a promise that should give us all hope for that future when it comes.